Hello All,I am currently reading, "Edda" by Snorri Sturluson.It is an account of Norse myths and legends, writtenby Snorri (I love that name) around 1220.I am trying to get into the mind of that time andsee what he was saying and also trying to understandwhat it meant to the original Norse people that hadthese teachings before Snorri recounted them.A new world for me to discover.Take Care,Fieldthistle

Improviser:You definitely should read her books. I just read the first three chapters of The Caged Virgin and .... oh I can't even begin to tell you. honestly it kind of made me feel okay about MY feelings toward Islam and the brutality of women in their culture/religion. I think if she weren't once a Muslim herself and black she'd be considered racist and or ethnocentric--I hate to say that. her book Infidel was such an eye opener as is The CAged Virgin. She actually wrote the latter first but I didn't know till i was in the middle of Infidel. I could not put it down!

the next couple of books I plan on reading are:Knots by Farrah about a similar (fictional) situation between a Somalian woman living in Toronto.Lover of Unreason by Koren about the deadly disastrous effects of the relationship between the poet Sylvia Plath's husband, Ted Hughes and his lover and their child together.

The last two were Jefferson and Jackson. Good reading, about 2 great presidents !!!! Great books are treasures.

Last summer I read "Master and Commander" (they made a good movie of the same name a few years ago) by Patrick O'Brien. It took a little while to get used to the language because Mr. O'Brien used the English of 1800 even though the book was written in the 1990's, how difficult must that have been. It was one of those "can't put it down books".

But then I found it was the first of 20 volumes relating the adventures of the two heros and their families--I felt as if I knew them all well. Mr O'B died during the writing of book 21 and with him he took both families --- what a shame, I missed them.

I sent 3 copies of the book to 3 friends who read and appreciate good literature. From those three at least one lad bought the whole series of 21 and God knows how many more were bought to add to Mr O'B's estate.

Some others I have read and liked and passed on-----------

Pillars of the Earth by Koontz (wonderful) Angels of Death--Michael Shaara (didn't know he wrote two others, I will look for them) All of John Grisholm, and Robert Parker, Jack Higgins, and Dick Francis (one of the best), and John MacDonald, and Lawrence Sanders.

I agree completely on Clancy and Ludlam---both names are spoiled forever. Money has ruined them. I have liked some of Clive Cussler and Dale Brown but not all.

Read all of Mary Higgins Clarke, and Michael Connelly (saw his new one in Borders yesterday) Loved Inspector Morse stories written by Colin Dexter and Sue Graftons little lady PT Kinsey

Started reading during grammar school vacations with Agatha Christe and SS VanDyne, went through Zane Grey and Raphiel Sabatini and then Hemingway, James Cain and Howard Fast etc.etc. Have always found reading better than a sleeping draught (as Hercule Poirot would say), and so to bed !!!!!!!!!

Hello All,I am currently reading, "Edda" by Snorri Sturluson.It is an account of Norse myths and legends, writtenby Snorri (I love that name) around 1220.I am trying to get into the mind of that time andsee what he was saying and also trying to understandwhat it meant to the original Norse people that hadthese teachings before Snorri recounted them.A new world for me to discover.Take Care,Fieldthistle

Thanks Fieldthistle, I'll give that one a spin.

A couple others I have read (as mentioned above The Farfarers by Farley Mowat) "Westward before Columbus" by Kare Prytz and the "Vinland Sagas", translated by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson.

The Norse were a brutal people, but also very adept seamen. I have read an online book that believes Vinland was actually on Vancouver Island. Apparentely, there was (gasp!) global warming back in the 900's (probably caused by all those fires the people in the dark ages built) and the Northwest Passage was open for far longer periods of time, allowing these early explorers to travel all the way around to the West Coast of North America. Maybe a bit far-fetched, but an interesting and thought provoking theory to say the least.

Currently, I'm reading "The Planets" by Dava Sobel. It's a fascinating look at each planet in our solar system, with lots of scientific, literary, philosophical, and historical information for such a slim volume. And the lady is a terrific storyteller.

I finished Ramsey Campbell's The Nameless the other day. Campbell's been praised by other horror writers like Stephen King and Peter Straub but I couldn't really get into The Nameless. It never really seemed to take off. I'll give some of his other books a try but not for awhile.

Stephen King's two boys, Owen and Joe, both have books out. I'm reading Owen's We're All In This Together, but I just started it. I'm on the waiting list for Joe's book, Heart Shaped Box. He writes under the name Joe Hill.

Improviser:You definitely should read her books. I just read the first three chapters of The Caged Virgin and .... oh I can't even begin to tell you. honestly it kind of made me feel okay about MY feelings toward Islam and the brutality of women in their culture/religion. I think if she weren't once a Muslim herself and black she'd be considered racist and or ethnocentric--I hate to say that. her book Infidel was such an eye opener as is The CAged Virgin. She actually wrote the latter first but I didn't know till i was in the middle of Infidel. I could not put it down!

the next couple of books I plan on reading are:Knots by Farrah about a similar (fictional) situation between a Somalian woman living in Toronto.Lover of Unreason by Koren about the deadly disastrous effects of the relationship between the poet Sylvia Plath's husband, Ted Hughes and his lover and their child together.

naxet, have you ever read anything by Marjane Satrapi? She's a graphic novelist who writes about her early life in Iran. Her graphic novels are terrific. Start with Persepolis, then Persepolis 2. Embroderies and Chicken With Plums are also very good.

Bomba the Jungle Boy Among the Slaves (1929) by Roy Rockwood, the 8th in the series of 20 books about Bomba, which spanned from 1926 to 1938. The adventures of a sort of teenage Tarzan that takes place in the Amazons. Pretty hair-raising stuff!

I just finished John Patrick Diggins' s biography of John Adams and Gary Wills' s biography of james Madison. Both were enjoyable reads. The big news is that with the completion of these two books i have now read at least one biography of each American president, completing one of my life goals.

I just finished reading All God's Children. Boy, it was quite distressing! I grew up in a very small town and living here in San Antonio now I hardly ever go near downtown and when I used to or on the occasions that I need to drive in the area the ony homeless people I've seen are older men,women I've not really seen groups of homelss youth as described in the novel. What do you mean that this book changed your outlook on these kinds of teens? I was appalled at all the services that the kids got...what a way to keep in living on the streets, huh?

i've also been reading books on the French Revolution, Henry VIII's children and what happened to them, and now I'm going to start reading the life of elizabeth I by Alison Weir.

For those who like fictional historical mysteries I recommend The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I read it about 10 years ago and to this day I will still pick it up and read it over again. It's about a serial killer in New York City in early 1900s (or late 1800s?) and an alienist is the name of a psychologist. It involves a reporter, a psychologist and several others trying innovative ways to catch this child sexual predator/serial murderer.

I just finished FAITHFUL by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan. They started the 2004 spring training and wrote about the Red Sox 2004 season. I felt a little tear in my eye when I started reading about their victory over the Yankees. Three years later and I still feel it!! Man.

That's the only Stephen King book I've never read, Billyboy. I need to track it down.

Last night I meant to just dip into Mel Torme's autobiography "It wasn't all Velvet'" before going to bed, but I ended up staying up way too late and finishing it. I really enjoyed it. I've always been a big fan of Mel.

This is one of my favorite stories involving Mel http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL245.htm

I just finished reading All God's Children. Boy, it was quite distressing! I grew up in a very small town and living here in San Antonio now I hardly ever go near downtown and when I used to or on the occasions that I need to drive in the area the ony homeless people I've seen are older men,women I've not really seen groups of homelss youth as described in the novel. What do you mean that this book changed your outlook on these kinds of teens? I was appalled at all the services that the kids got...what a way to keep in living on the streets, huh?

One of the clients in the group home where I work left our system because she felt our "rules" were too confining. She went to live on the street, fell in with a family, and decided it was better to rob, steal, and beg, and was beaten up and put in jail. The group home idea came up when so many folks came out of the Oregon State Hospital and needed help integrating into the world. Now so many of the younger folks know all their rights but do not want to take on their responsibilities. Many agencies act on the runaway kid myths and are unwilling to face the fact that many street kids have made a willing choice to stay on the streets and live irresponsible lives. And the infrastructure is here indefinitely.

I am reading a book called "geek love" about a family of circus performers, the mother (who is a geek, which in old terms is a person who bit the heads off of chickens)deliberatly took drugs and exposed herself to radiation in order to have children who were deformed enough to make money off of them as "freaks" its narrated by thier daughter who is a humpbacked albino dwarf named Olympia. They have other children, Arty who has flippers and siamese twins, and a normal looking child who is a powerful psychic. Its seriously a very raw, emotional, visceral book and so far i am loving it...but than again i like anything macabre and on the edge of sanity.

Last night I stayed up way too late reading Stephen King's latest, Blaze. I really liked it. Don't go into it expecting a horror novel, it's much more of a crime story with just the barest hint of supernatural goings-on.

Finished American Stories by Calvin Trillin, a collection of his reporting spanning the years. I really liked it. The only other book by Trillin I'd read was About Alice, his memoir about his wife, which I also really liked.

Some highlights of American Stories include: a long profile of magicians Penn & Teller, a really interesting profile of Miami crime reporter Edna Buchanan, and some really in-depth murder stories. Highly recommended.

I'm currently listening to Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid on cd. I really like it. I should finish it on the way home today.

Am now reading "the circus fire" by Stewart O'nan about the Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey fire in Hartford CT back on july 6th 1944. I love historical books, especially ones that are well researched and this one is

Just finished "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. It's the first Afghan novel written in English. It was good in some parts, but I saw the ending coming well before I got to it. It reminded me of the "Davinci Code" in that it sparked my interest in learning more about some of the things discussed in the novel (afghan culture, religion, male and female roles in society).

I'm working on "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. I love it. He talk about growing up in Des Moines, ID in the 50s and 60s. A lot of the things he did with his friends reminds me a lot of my childhood.

I'm almost done with Dina Matos McGreevy's book on her marriage to Jim McGreevy, the ex-governer now turned gay of New Jersey; titled Silent Partner. I'm also reading Sex with the Queen by Eleanor Herman. It's about the royals from the past 400 years or so and their lovers, spouses, etc. and what became of each of them. She also wrote Sex with the King dealing with the same subject matter.

I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road over the weekend while camping at Bear Head State Park near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It was my father's day present from my son and is about a man and his son walking toward the sea in the aftermath of a world holocaust. Every night they made a fire to keep warm. Every night I too made a fire at the campground.

I finished The Yiddish Policeman's Union, the new Michael Chabon novel, last night. While it wasn't as awesomely great as The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Chabon's novel that won him the Pulitizer, I really liked it. It's a detectice story that takes place in a world where the Jewish Nation was set up in Alaska, not Israel. As the book opens, the Jewish land is set to revert back to U.S. control. A policeman must investigate the murder of a childhood chess prodigy. Anyone who likes mysteries or history should really enjoy it.

I read two great books last night. I ordered them both from McSweeneys.net, who were having a sale to help them raise funds to stay alive after their distributor went out of business. They had some great books going for ridiculously cheap prices.

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out" (actual title) is a great collection of children's and young adult stories, including stories by Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, George Saunders, and others. Lemony Snicket wrote the introduction! I loved it particularly Gaiman's Sunbird, Clement Freud's Grimble, and Nick Hornby's story, which I'd heard performed on This American Life before.

David Garnett's Lady Into Fox is a gem. It's short but it's absolutely wonderful. I'd never heard of it or its author before. Published in 1922, it's the story of a man whose wife turns into a fox. Lady Into Fox is part of McSweeney's Collins Library which publishes and reintroduces obscure works. Highly recommended.

The Collins Library also released Harry Stephen Keeler's The Riddle of the Travelling Skull which is one of the most insane books every written. A mystery writer who had no patiences for mysteries, Keeler's plot jumps all over the place and makes no sense whatsoever. But the individual chapters are great and the book, while nonsensical, is a joy to read. Highly recommended as well.

"Heart Shaped Box" is the debut novel of Joseph King, the son of Stephen and Tabitha King. He writes under the name Joe Hill. I started the book around 8 last night, finished it around 1:30 this morning. I couldn't put it down. The story of a fading rock star who buys a ghost, it's a real page turner. I know the premise sounds silly but the author really makes it work.

I read Owen King's first book a few weeks ago and really liked it. Both of Stephen King's sons seem to be the real deal, talent wise.

I've been attending library sales the past few months. I'm slowly building up a library of autobiographies of great classic comedians and talents. Yesterday I read Name-Dropping by comic Alan King. I really enjoyed it. There some great stories about Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and other legends in there.

Finished American Stories by Calvin Trillin, a collection of his reporting spanning the years. I really liked it. The only other book by Trillin I'd read was About Alice, his memoir about his wife, which I also really liked.

Some highlights of American Stories include: a long profile of magicians Penn & Teller, a really interesting profile of Miami crime reporter Edna Buchanan, and some really in-depth murder stories. Highly recommended.

I'm currently listening to Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid on cd. I really like it. I should finish it on the way home today.

Trillin's one of my favorite writers. I also liked the Ben & Jerry's story in American Stories.

You need to read his "The Tummy Trilogy", incorporating "American Fried," "Alice, Let's Eat", and "Third Helpings". Tom Chaney, featured in "American Stories", was first met in one of the Tummy trilogy books.

I have been a Turtledove fan since "Guns of the South", and I enjoyed his series about an alien invasion during WW2. Jake Featherston is a favorite literary bad guy, and I like the way that the author is willing to let characters die. That said, I had a tough time getting through "Ruled Britania" , and didn't rush out to buy the new series about WW2, starting with "Days of Infamy". I bought "Days" last week and read it all within 24 hours, and then rushed out to buy the follow on volume. Both are in paperback, already, so I don't think that they did too well. Too bad. They are good summer reads. He has his groove back.

I've read Guns of the South and the first two books in Turtledove's WWII series. I need to read more of his books.

Friday night, I stayed up all night reading the latest and last Harry Potter book (the staying up all night til I finish the book is somewhat of a tradition for me). I really loved it.

This morning I finished Caesar's Hours, Sid Caesar's autobiography. My local library has some of the Sid Caesar show on dvd, I've got to start checking them out.

I'm alternating chapters of Michael Chabon's novel Wonder Boys with Avram Davidson's Adventures in Unhistory, which examines various myths such as dragons and werewolves and tries to find a factual basis for them. I'm really enjoying it. It's not a book I can read all at once. But I really like dipping into it a chapter at a time.

Just finished The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I'd only heard of the Dust Bowl., probably in association with Woody Guthrie. This is an engaging and informative book.

Now I've started We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists in France since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein.

Hey Improviser...yeah me too...it's Hawks Harbor...found it at Sam's club...hard cover for I believe under $5.00...don't know anything about it yet....but here's a website with a listing of all Hinton's books

Just finished Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" and will give a dozen or more copies as presents. Written in 2004 and I think it should be read by everyone concerned with the good old USA and the rest of the world.

Just finished The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I'd only heard of the Dust Bowl., probably in association with Woody Guthrie. This is an engaging and informative book.

Now I've started We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists in France since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein.

Sandy in 2009 a movie version of "the worst hard time" is supposed to come out.

I tend to read several books at a time, so my selections at the moment include:

Crazies to the Left of me, Wimps to the Right, Bernard GoldbergBall of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball, Stafan KanferLife on the Other Side, Sylvia Browne (I'm really enjoying this one!)The No Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America (to any O'Reilly fans here..I would HIGHLY recommend his new book Culture Warrior..I think I finished it in 2 days!)

Mr Mariner, maybe it's the fact that Michael Crichton is imparting this information in a novel -- despite the fact that he has an impressive set of footnotes that ARE REAL SCIENTIFIC DATA that supports the fiction of global warming, and fearmongering.

Just finished The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I'd only heard of the Dust Bowl., probably in association with Woody Guthrie. This is an engaging and informative book.

Now I've started We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists in France since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein.

Sandy in 2009 a movie version of "the worst hard time" is supposed to come out.

That's interesting, Sushi Girl. I found it painful to read at times, knowing that these things happened. I hope H'wood doesn't try to turn it into some kind of sappy love story. It has a pretty strong environmental theme as well as being critical of the runaway financial speculation of the time: not usually blockbuster themes.

Pwingsx---it is really funny that you are an advocate of a green society.If it were still available I would give you the address of my web site.It was called "We Build Green Houses" and in the 5 pages I talk about much of the technology that we used, and which can be used to build homesthat use little or no energy. I received a lot of interested mail, butunfortunately it all happened at a time when my life changed completely.And then while still unable to handle things correctly I forgot to pay for the web site and it disappeared into cyber heaven. I would love tobuild a house using the wonderful stuff that is available but which mostpeople ignore.

By the way Donald Trump's name will be on a new restaurant at beautifulJones Beach on Long Island. Many of the features I fought for will be incorporated. Seven years too late for me !!!!!!!

I just completed two books on a related topic but from different generations. The topic is Military Signal Intelligence.

First is "Most Secret War, A History of Army Security Agency Operations in the Vietnam War".(Govt Printing Office, 2003) I served in this branch during the early years of Vietnam. While I was aware of some of the activities of my units during that period, compartmentization of information kept me from knowing the details of the scope of our operations. Now that the stuff has been partially de-classified, I have been able to fill in the blanks in my memories of SEA.

Second is The Expendables, by Ted Wildman, a personal diary of a fellow who was one of the Navy Cryptographers who worked on intercepting and deciphering the Japanese Codes before and during WW II. It was really interesting to me to read of his experiences in the field (China and Mongolia)in the 1930's and 40's. The primitive technology in itself is great reading for me...But for those of you who have enjoyed W E B Griffen's Series on "The Corp", reading a true version of the Mongolian Radio and Weather Station that Griffen describes in his fictional novels is all the more 'Alive'.

Of course, that might be because I haven't read a lot of Hemingway. I'll have to add more of him to the pile of books to read. That pile grows and grows and grows. Anyone else have that problem?

Oh MAN can I sympathize! I have three piles at home in three different rooms: One in the library, one in the living room, and one on my bedside table!

Just finished "The Covenant" by Naomi Regen. Story of four elderly women who survived Auschwitz and made a pact to always help each other, coming together when the husband and daughter of one's granddaughter is kidnapped in Israel by Hamas terrorists. Very moving, and very well researched too.

i usually have at least three books going at one time...the piles keep growing!i just read Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and highly recommend it to anyone at all...it's informative, and entertaining, and provides a real grass-roots perspective on eating locally and how it can be tremendously positive for your family, community, and by extension, our country...the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook is full of fascinating stories, as well as recipes that i'm just drooling over - haven't cooked from it yet, however......i also just finished "The Detox Diet" by Alex Jamison...good info, seems like a great plan for life if you can spend the time cooking and money on organic and unprocessed ingredients - she's engaged to Morgan Spurlock of "Super=size Me" fame, and says her detox diet was what brought him back to optimum health after his Mcdonald's experiment for his movie...

Last night I read Kenneth Turan's Never Coming To A Theater Near You, a collection of his reviews for the Los Angeles Times and other outlets. I liked it but the title made me think it was going to be about lost films when it's actually a collection of reviews of smaller films that not many people saw. Even that's misleading, though, as several of the movies reviewed got extensive releases (Whale Rider, for example). Still, I enjoyed his criticism.

I keep telling myself that I'm going to read all the books on my shelves that I've never read before buying any more. Of course, there's a library sale on Sunday so I won't be able to keep that promise.

I just completed two books on a related topic but from different generations. The topic is Military Signal Intelligence........(part removed to save space)

This reminded me of an old favorite"Cuise of the LaniKai" (sp?) by Kemp Tolly. It may be out of print. My late father in law was blown into the water, but survived Pearl. He was always sure that something was fishy... This book backs Dad's claim.

Lt (later Adm) Kemp Tolly, in late 1941 was given command of the US "ship of war" Lanakai, which was in reality an old sail powered trader that had a few light weapons installed. He was to go on a "show the flag" mission near Japanese held islands. His opinion in the book, is that it was his mission to get the Japanese (not our enemy yet) upset enough that they would capture or sink him, giving the USA the chance to rachet up the pressure on Japan. Lucky for Tolly and his crew he found out about the attack of 7 Dec before he got into real trouble, and was able to abort his mission. The young Captain (of the "ship", his rank was Lieutenant) got to live and go on to a very distinguished career.

I just finished "Sky time in Grays River", a memoir of Robert michael Pyle's life in Grays River, Wa, a small community about 30 miles inland from the mouth of the Columbia river. It is an account of his life in the region arranged by time of year and personal whim. I found out about the book the day after I had driven through the area and seen the covered bridge that abuts his property. i marvel at his desrciptive skill and reccomend it highly to anyoe who appreciates good writing.

I just started reading "That Dark and Bloody River" by Allan Eckart, which is about the history of the Ohio river. I actually came recommended to me by a guy I sat next to on an airplane. It is a little dry so far, but it is interesting learning more about the history of the area I am from.

I just started reading "That Dark and Bloody River" by Allan Eckart, which is about the history of the Ohio river. I actually came recommended to me by a guy I sat next to on an airplane. It is a little dry so far, but it is interesting learning more about the history of the area I am from.

BB

It does read a little dry through out but the history it covers is awesome. This coming from someone who was raised 150 yds from that dark and bloody river.

I have a signed copy of this book, he was doing a promotion of the book at our local library and I had him sign it.

Lochry's Defeat happened less than a 1/4 mile from our old house.There are several historical markers around that area.

Laughery creek was named for Col Lochry. Most of the locals say it as LOCK ER EE.

If you like american history, he has written several books that are awesome. Wilderness war, Frontiers man, Wilderness Empire, Conquerers.